Lazy

This is how we spent the majority of our day…

Daddy has been on shut down from work and it has been so nice having him home all day everyday!  We decided that today would be a lounge around day.  After the busy weekend, we needed to re-group.  And the rain?  Was a plus for a lazy day :)

I went to work for 4 hours and now we are watching Louisville Football in their Bowl game!  Go Cards!

Operation Christmas Clean up and a Tea Party

The day after Christmas is always a sad day to me.  After all of the excitement and festivities during the month of December, once Christmas gets here, it goes by so fast that it is almost like a let down.  I remember being a kid and making those paper chains for the countdown until Christmas and it felt like it would NEVER get here.  Now that I’m an adult, each Christmas creeps up on me!
Yesterday was operation clean up from Christmas day.  Our house is swimming in a sea of pink and purple!  We decided to make the spare room a playroom for now. We were trying to hold off for another baby, but with all the toys we have, we had to go ahead and make a playroom! HA!  We will cross *that other* bridge when we get there ;)

Mia helping her daddy put together her new toy shelves!
We got all of our Christmas décor packed up and put away, toys put away, playroom put together and even some laundry done!
Poppy and Uncle B came over to visit while Meme worked. We went to a party supply store and Olive Garden for dinner!

Yep, that’s my dad and husband. LOL

Don’t be jealous ladies, he’s *ALL* mine, mullet and all!  HA!
Once we got back home, Mia and her B played Tea Party with her new tea set she got for Christmas. It was the sweetest sight!  Mia loves her Uncle Ben!

Priceless.
Meme got off work at 730 and came over to hang out.  We played cards and talked and laughed and just had a great night!  Love my family!

Christmas 2011

Happy Birthday Jesus!!!!  This is what we had waiting for us when we went into her room this morning!
We had a great morning, opened presents, got ready and headed to church!
Still a little sleepy…

Trying out her stethoscope!  Just like mommy!

And, helping mommy sweep with new new broom!  HA!

After church we headed over to do Christmas with Nana and Papaw (or as Mia says it, NAYna and PauPaul)!

Mia got all kinds of goodies for Christmas!  We are so thankful for such wonderful family who loves our baby girl almost as much as we do! HA!


Papaws Louisville pullover!

Our sweet gift from Dave’s parents…

AND, Mia’s iPod touch!!!!  She was on cloud 9 saying “Mia’s pone!”  I’m go glad she has one of her own, so maybe now she will stay off of Mommy’s new iPhone and stop calling people :)

Daddy’s new handy tool!

Playing with the new iPod!  Thank you Nana and Papaw!

Unfortunately after this we had to leave for a little bit because Uncle B got sick, on Christmas, and we had to take him a Ginger Ale and a Phenergan.  We left our little grumposaurus with Nana to get a little nap!

She has just been so exhausted with these past couple of days of non stop action!
Once we got back we went to Dave’s aunt Terri and Uncle Charlie’s house for our family Christmas!
Mia and her little cousin Arley running around in circles…

Little blond haired, blue eyed cutie!

Decorating cookies with great Aunt Terri!

We had such a wonderful Christmas!  We were surrounded by our families, whom we love dearly, had lots of good food and opened special gifts for Jesus’ Birthday!  We are truly blessed beyond what we deserve!
It is very humbling and gives an overall sense of warm fuzzies when you sit back and just observe everyone you love, all under the same roof, spending time together.  It makes my heart swell with love and gratitude for each and every one of them!
We hope you had a very blessed Christmas as well!

Merry Christmas

From our family to yours!

We hope you all have a wonderful day full of family, food and fun and that we never lose sight of the real reason we are celebrating!
Thank you God for giving the ultimate sacrifice for us so that we may live eternally with you!

Christmas Eve 2011

We started out this morning just hanging around the house and being silly…
Before showers, still in our jams…
This is her “wink!”  She can only do it with *both* eyes!  HA!



Kisses for mama!

We tried desperately for a nap, but to no avail we had to get ready to head out to start our family Christmas festivities!
In the car with sleepy eyes…

Annnddd, about 5 minutes later…

HAHA!
Dave and I ready for Christmas!

We had so much good food and spent quality time with great family!  The kids had a blast!

Mia and her pal/BFF Jazzlyn!


My attempt to get SEVEN kids to all “cheeeese” and look at the camera…HA!

One with closed eyes and the other digging for treasure!  5 out of 7 isn't to shabby!!!

Merry Christmas to all!

Arthur and a new Christmas Tradition

First thing, I’ve got to note the funny thing Mia did yesterday.  I was in my room and Ben was in the bathroom when he saw a *previously* wrapped present (lip gloss) slide under the door. Then the little innocent voice that followed “B? Wip gwoss!”  We knew what she had done but we couldn’t find the *wrapping* anywhere.  I asked Mia where the paper was and she said “Behind the cha-uh (chair)”  And sure enough, in the few short minutes that no one was around her, she swiped the present from beneath the tree, ran to her room and hid behind the glider and slyly and ever so quietly opened her lip gloss.  HA!  And the kicker is that there were plenty of other presents under the tree and most of the others were much bigger.  I guess she thought if she got the small one, she wouldn’t get caught as easily!  Smart cookie, that one!

Mia with a pink lemonade treat!
We took her to see Arthur Christmas yesterday, and although not entirely appropriate for my 2 year old and slightly corny at times, it was pretty decent. She sat through about 75% of it before she started getting “ants in her pants.”  I personally didn’t like the “story of the movie” and if we were *doing* Santa, I think that movie may put a “bad taste in your mouth” of him.  I am so glad we decided to not teach Mia about Santa.  With that said, I am not Anti-Santa and I allow Mia to watch Santa movies and the Grinch (which she loooves).  We just don’t want to lose the focus of the real meaning of Christmas!

We have started a new Christmas tradition in the House/Harlan house.  The past three years have been kind of tricky planning a time for us to do *Our* Christmas together because Christmas Eve and day and so busy.  Dave and I decided that every Christmas Eve Eve we would take Mia to see a Christmas movie and then have a celebration at Meme and Poppy’s house.  We also discussed that we would buy each other Christmas “jams” that we could open on Christmas Eve so that we could have them on for Christmas morning pics :)

  We had dinner, opened presents and watched “Dolphin Tail.”  It was a great night and I am so glad to start a new tradition!


Hope everyone was a wonderful Christmas weekend!

The beginning of our Christmas weekend

I worked until 3 on Wednesday and then met my dad and Ben for an early dinner at CPK.  After we ate, we all (minus mom and Dave because they work ALL.THE.TIME.) came back to our house and watched the Grinch and The Santa Clause.  Once mom got off work, she headed over to hang out too!

Mia in the sleigh at the mall…

Mia and her Poppy watching a movie together!  AWWW :)

Yesterday was Dave’s last day of work until the 2nd!  YAYAYA!!  Mia and I went to Meme and Poppy’s house to visit with Grand-Poppy (my dads dad!) and Ann.  Later that night we went to Wal-Mart to get some *supplies* for a Pinterest inspired holiday snack ;)

We had a lounge around/pajama kind of night!

Mia was happy to have her Uncle B come home and spend the night with us!

Cookies and Cocoa, family, friends and an iPhone

Saturday morning when I woke up, the first thing Dave said was “Can you find you Christmas present on the tree?”  Of course right there in the front was a gift card for AT&T! I immediately knew it was for the new iPhone!  We are not good secret surprises around here because he’s had his XBOX Christmas present since the end of November!  HA! However, we aren’t giving Mia hers until Jesus’ birthday :)  Thanks hubby, love you!

So of course the first thing I wanted to do on Saturday was get ready and go get my new phone!  After AT&T, we went to a few more stores to finish up our Christmas shopping and then headed to Sapporo (our fave sushi place!) to have dinner with family!

Yes, she can eat with chopsticks :)

We had some delicious food and headed back to have some cookies and cocoa and make Christmas ornaments!  We had such a great time!

Me, Mia and Dave

Kyle, Tina, Brody and Charlie

Mom and dad

Ben excited about his “slanket!”

Sunday morning after church we went to visit Mia’s Nana and Papaw, where she got to open up her stocking!  They told her she could because they wanted to RE-fill it before Christmas!  HA!  Spoiled little princess!

Sunday evening we had a date night with some great friends.  What did we eat?  Well Sushi, of course :)  We can never get tired of eating sushi!

Aubrey and Kevin…

Jacob and Tiffani…

Tara and Josh…

and Dave and I!

We had such a great time!  We are so grateful to have such great people in our lives!

When we got home, this little sweetie was excited to see her momma and momma was just as excited to see her…

Finally, now that I’m PRN (work as needed=WAHOO), I got to enjoy my Monday with the fam!  Dave and Mia in the afternoon and Mom, dad, Ben and Mia in the evening! 

Mom, Ben, Mia and I started off running some errands and finding Ben a phone case for his new iPhone (my old phone)!  He is so excited because he is SUCH an Apple lover :) 

Then we had lunch at McAllister's and went to see the chiropractor.  Mom, Mia and I all had adjustments.  It feels oh so good!